The largest celebration of Chinese culture "China in London
2006" was formally launched on Thursday afternoon with a specially
designed Chinese lantern lighting display in the heart of the
British capital, switched on by London Mayor Ken Livingstone and
China's Super Girl champion Li Yuchun.
"China in London", a season-long celebration that will feature
over 100 events and exhibitions across the city, demonstrates the
close links between the United Kingdom and China, which is further
reinforced by Beijing and London as the next host cities for the
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
After the lighting ceremony in Oxford Circus, Li Yuchun
performed in front of a large crowd with British band Liberty
X.
The launch also marks the beginning of
Chinese New Year celebrations in London, which is traditionally
the largest of its kind outside Asia. The annual Chinese lunar New
Year parade and festival takes place on Sunday January 29, marking
the start of the Year of the Dog.
Chu Ting Tang, president of the London Chinatown Chinese
Association, said: "Super Girl Li Yuchun's launch of the China in
London season is an exciting curtain raiser to the capital's
Chinese New Year celebrations, which are growing every year. Around
80,000 people attended last year's festivities in Chinatown and
Trafalgar Square and we expect the turnout to be truly phenomenal
this time around."
James Bidwell, chief executive of the Visit London program said:
"We're delighted to play host to such an extensive celebration of
Chinese culture in London. With Li Yuchun performing, the cultural
links between China and London could not be stronger. In 2004,
Chinese visitors represented eight percent of all visitors from
Asia to the UK and, with the receipt of approved destination status
in 2005, we would expect this figure to rise in 2006. This
celebration of Chinese culture in London highlights the city's
cultural diversity and the economic benefit it brings."
Livingstone said that he will be visiting Beijing and Shanghai
late this year with a delegation of representatives from London
businesses. "I will be opening London offices in both cities to
promote links between London and China. I regard it as the highest
strategic priority for London that we develop the strongest
possible links with the Chinese economy. It is also central to the
continued strength of London, as a financial center, that we remain
open to the most important developments in the global economy."
The Chinese season is organized through a partnership between
the Mayor of London, Visit London, and the Royal Academy of Arts,
as well as a wide range of organizations, including London
Chinatown Chinese Association, New West End Company, Regents Street
Association, London Transport, and the London Development
Agency.
Highlights include a spectacular specially commissioned window
and in-store display at Selfridges, performances by the Gold Sail
Dance Troupe from Beijing, the Shanghai on Screen film festival in
the West End and Docklands, as well as a Beijing Olympics
Photography Exhibition at London's City Hall.
A cornerstone exhibition is the acclaimed 'China: The Three
Emperors, 1662-1795', now on show at the Royal Academy of Arts
featuring 400 works, many of which have never been shown outside
China.
The Red Mansion Foundation, a non-profit organization which
promotes cultural exchange between China and Britain through
contemporary art, is staging shows like "Bad Girls, Good Girls" and
"China Coup". There will also be a wide range of theater, dance and
live performances such as 'Yellow Gentlemen', a new play by
Benjamin Yeoh, and a version of Hans Christian Andersen's 'The
Nightingale' by Yellow Earth Theater Company.
London attracts around 30 percent of Chinese foreign investment
projects in the UK, the largest European recipient country of such
projects.
?(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2006)
